Panic gripped villagers of Koida block in Orissa's Sundergarh district today, a day after the killing of three persons of Topadih by Maoists branding them as "police informers".
Panic gripped villagers of Koida block in Orissa's Sundergarh district today, a day after the killing of three persons of Topadih by Maoists branding them as "police informers".
A man, claiming himself to be Samarji, head of South Chota Nagpur unit of CPI (Maoist), told local media persons over phone that all three - Daud Munda, Nahum Munda, a ward member and Nihar Chanda Munda, a sikhya sahayak - were working as "brokers" for police in the area.
He said all three were spearheading a movement against insurgency and they were given death punishment according to the verdict of the "public court". Any person engaged as broker for police would be similarly punished, he warned.
Meanwhile, police said a group of 35-40 armed red rebels had entered Topadih village yesterday in the morning hours and walked straight to the house of Daud Munda, a former Maoist and took him away with them.
Siginificantly Daud had been at the forefront of the villager's movement against Maoists. Inspired by him, residents of Topadih and neighbouring villages had extended support to the police administration in a bid to keep Maoists away from their area.
Soon after Daud's abduction, hundreds of villagers armed with bows and arrows followed the Maoists and intercepted them in the middle of adjoining Saranda forest.
As the villagers outnumbered the Maoists, they managed to rescue Daud and returned back to Topadih. But after two hours, about 100 armed Maoists stormed into the village and opened fire in the air, spreading panic among the villagers.
The red rebels picked up Daud and two others and took them away. The villagers protested intially but then fell silent in fear of the armed insurgents.
The Maoists took the three to an isolated place outsisde the village, tied their hands and then slit their throats. The bodies were dumped on the track near Topadih railway station.
Police said all three victims had been under Maoist scanner. Combing operation in the area has been intensified.
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